Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sivananda yoga (2nd nomination)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was speedy keep. Nomination withdrawn. (non-admin closure) Cesde v a  (talk) 12:40, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Sivananda yoga

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Promotional. Fails WP:GNG miserably, despite superficial appearances ($$$). Previous AfD here. Article link. Cesde v a (talk) 09:16, 15 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Withdrawn in light of the sources produced. Cesde v a  (talk) 12:40, 18 December 2018 (UTC)


 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of India-related deletion discussions.  Cesde v a  (talk) 09:16, 15 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Hinduism-related deletion discussions. PriceDL (talk) 18:27, 15 December 2018 (UTC)


 * Keep, this is one of the major modern schools of "hatha yoga", as important as Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Bikram Yoga for example. May I remind everyone that notability depends not on the content of an article but on the existence of multiple reliable sources in the world, and there are plenty for this school of yoga. I will note also that today is a poor time for AfD discussion as many of us are going on holiday very shortly, so plenty of time should be allowed. However, Sivananda Yoga is recognised in neutral academic history books like ; by the respected hatha yoga publication Yoga Journal, e.g. Jones 2007 (and many more YJ articles); by fitness sites such as Very Well Fit; by academic ethnography books like Laurah E. Klepinger's Sivananda Yoga in the West: An Experimental Autoethnography, from Los Angeles to South India and Back; and in academic religious studies (which are many) such as Suzanne Newcombe's The Revival of Yoga in Contemporary India. Newcombe puts it succinctly:

"Sivananda’s vision of yoga was eclectic, offering varying definitions of “self-realization,” “God-realization” and “realizing the Immortal Atman” as the purpose of yogic striving. His literature emphasized meditation practices over āsana, but āsana became a stronger part of the Sivananda lineage over time. Although not directly agitating for independence, Sivananda supported the idealization of Gandhi as a model yogi. In many ways, Sivananda continued Vivekananda’s categories of yoga, with Sarah Strauss arguing that Sivananda’s injunctions to “Serve, Love, Meditate, Realise” roughly parallel Vivekananda’s four paths of yoga. Sivananda’s disciples, particularly Swami Vishnudevananda (1927–1993) who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1959 and helped establish a global following, oversaw the opening of Sivananda Yoga Centres worldwide. The Bihar School of Yoga founded in 1964 by another of Sivananda’s disciples, Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1923–2009) also achieved an influential position both within India and internationally."

- Suzanne Newcombe, 2017


 * In short, a wide range of different types of source, both academic and practical, independent of Sivananda, cover the system in detail. In addition, a large number of books and websites direct people who wish to practise yoga to the many Sivananda Yoga centres around the world, and thousands of fitness clubs and gymnasiums follow the school's guidance. The article needs work (so did all the other yoga articles I've edited) but that is not a matter for AfD. This is a key component of modern hatha yoga, recognised as such in multiple academic and practical disciplines, and it is a vital component of Wikipedia's coverage of the domain. Chiswick Chap (talk) 11:50, 18 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. Cesde v a  (talk) 12:40, 18 December 2018 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.